Say, you are in the middle of applying for PR, already living here with your family etc. They will consider your application and might approve your purchase.
I know someone who has it approved in 2 months of applying. So, do not be overly scared by the process.
Anotherway is asking your lawyer to assist and act as your trustee.
1) The purchase will be under a Trust, your lawyer will set up a holding trustee company and act as a trustee for you.
The skills are in the details of the Trust and its structure. The beneficiaries are all discretionary* and can include a NZ charity**. The protector (which can be you) of the trust will then retain the power to appoint and remove trustee and beneficiaries.
2) it is a legitimate Trust set up, you can even appoint a reputable trustee company that has managed trusts in NZ over 100 years, to name just a few at a later stage.
For this method, use a reputable law firm of good standing and possess these specialised skills, don't just use any small law firm.
Nothing is impossible. haha........ you just need the right channels. This is widely used in UK real estate purchases by the wealthy Chinese, Russian, Arabs etc.
(Note* it is not an easy concept for many Chinese readers to understand the concept of discretionary beneficiaries - this is an art in the western trust where the beneficiaries are not specifically named but is in your lists to benefit, they have hope and expectation they might benefit but again they might not.
Note** - you might wonder why it includes a NZ Charity? haha... good question.)